The Immunes
by brutongaster32
Summary: Kara has always wanted to know what it was like to be secure inside the fences.  She wants to know what it would be like to live with Catcher in the Dark City.  Most of all, she wants her family back...or at least to be safe.
1. Prologue

The Immunes

**Prologue:**

I have always wanted to live inside the fences in a safe and protected town. I was infected by my father. I was ten at the time. I stayed with him until the end. He bit me through the chain link fence after he had Returned. My mother waited a day because the bite was not serious. She made me climb over the fence the day after I was Infected. I still remember her watching me reluctantly climb over the fence. Before I was even on the other side, my mother ran back to her cottage sobbing. I realized that is was _her _cottage now. Just hers. She was the only one living there.

When I jumped over, I was not attacked by the Avide. It was like I was already one of them. Two days later, I still had not died and Returned.

Five years later, I roam around the forest looking for food and water sources. The fever still throbs in my body. My heart still pumps blood. The Avide could care less about my presence. I am an Infected that will never Return. A true Uninfected. Ultimately an Immune.


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1:**

"Kara," Catcher yelled. How long have I been waiting to see him again? It feels like forever. I can feel my heart accelerate as I turn around and see his mesmerizing brown eyes shine in the sun. I met him one week ago in this exact spot.

Catcher told me that he escapes from the Dark City every once in a while to sit on the tree stump I'm sitting on now to think about and reflect on his life. He told me he wishes he could bring me into the city but there is too much security. The Recruiters are horrible people he says, and they love to _have _younger women like me.

He told me he went to the Dark City with one of his good friends to protect her. We sat talking hours in which I did not learn that much about him. I was me mostly narrating stories from my life. He promised to meet me here today, and knowing how anxious I was, he quickly approached.

Catcher was also an Immune. The Avide, otherwise know as the Unconsecrated or Mudo, were half-heartedly moaning. There was no flesh that they could sense right now, but their moans constantly fill open space. If the moans went away, I wouldn't know what to do. Their moans are the only sound I truly know, the only sound that I know when Catcher's voice isn't next to me.

**Note:** This was written before The Dark and Hollow Places.


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2:**

Catcher knew that I like him. I liked him in an unexplainable way. Kind of like the stories I heard of love at first sight. How could something so magical ever happen in a world of death?

Last week, when I first talked to Catcher, I would often lose myself in his deep, brown, gold-flecked eyes. He would often blink when he realized I was staring. I would look away at the Avide and feel my face get hotter than it already was from the Infection.

When he finally walked the distance to me, he got so close that I could reach out to his face and feel his feverish skin. But I knew that would seem a little strange. Catcher had no idea about the butterflies fluttering wildly in my stomach. My lips were warm with the need to touch them to Catcher's, and my throat was dry from my nervousness. I wanted to let him hold me in my arms so I could sob. I wanted to cry for everything I lost, for everything I didn't have.

Catcher reached down and took my hand. He pulled my up of the tree stump effortlessly. His skin was rough and warm at the same time. His skin didn't feel extremely hot on mine since we both had raging fevers.

"How have you been?" he asks making small talk. He starts walking, pulling me along next to him.

"As good as I can be living in the wild with Avide," I respond giving him a small smile.

"I wish I could get you in the Dark City," he said staring at me with his intoxicating eyes. I don't know how long our eyes were locked, but we both looked up when the fence enclosing the path rattled. An Avide had run into it, and when it turned around, I realized both of his eyes were gone. He just had empty eye sockets. I shivered, and Catcher squeezed my hand.

"I brought food. It's in my backpack. We could find a spot where there are not many Avide," Catcher said, breaking the silence between us.

"S-sure." In truth, I was hungry enough to eat while the Avide were around. I didn't say anything, though, because Catcher still held my hand, and I wasn't ready to let it go.

"I know the perfect place," Catcher said dragging me toward the fence line. "Climb up and over," he ordered in a soft yet firm voice. I started to climb while his hands rested lightly on my hips. My hips prickled with heat and I could feel myself blushing from his touch. When I was too high up for his hands to guard me from falling, Catcher climbs up quickly and jumps over. I finally got to the top and was thinking about the last time I climbed over the fence. The last time I saw my Mom. I was about to climb down the side when I lost my balance at the top of the eight foot drop.


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3:**

I was gliding through the air. Quickly and clumsily. I suddenly felt a tight grip around my back and creases in my legs. Catcher caught me perfectly. I looked up, and he looked down at me. His eyes took my breath away. He looked away and looked at my hands that I had folded on my stomach. He saw the scars the bite marks from my father left on all the fingers on my left hand. He traced them and his touch felt like fire.

"You should be more careful, you clumsy little thing," Catcher remarks smiling as he still inspected the scars. He looked over to me after a few moments. His eyes were fire and the gold flecks in his eyes were the embers that started the blazing fire. Desire. Desire was what caused the embers. He leaned in so close, so close I could have touched my lips to his. I closed my eyes hoping for that first touch. But nothing came.

I opened my eyes and realized that he was standing up straight again. "I am going to set you down, okay?" I nodded, unable to say anything, disappointed out of my mind.

He put me down and didn't hold my hand again as he took to the place where we were going to eat. We slowly and silently walked down that paths enclosed by fences that had overgrown vines and weeds twisting through the metal diamond patterns. I walked a few steps behind Catcher and watched his muscles in his back mover. His black long sleeved shirt was rolled up to his elbows, and it fit him snugly showing that his arms were muscular enough but not enough for him to have a burly figure. After walking for what felt like forever in silence (as good as silence is with the Avide around), Catcher stopped abruptly and his back muscles twitched before slowly turned around.

"We're here," he says, his brown eyes burning with excitement.


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4:**

"I only have so much time," Catcher stated with pain and desire burning in his eyes at the same time. My heart accelerated as I wondered if he would kiss me before he left.

Catcher had led me to a little clearing of dirt in front of one of the locked gates where the path continued on the other side. Vines, weeds, and even vines with budding sun-yellow flowers traveled through the criss-cross design of the fence. Catcher had carried water in a large tin canteen. He brought assorted berries and two large pieces of slightly stale bread. I devoured my piece of bread and two handfuls of the different berries. I drank all of the water in the canteen and had not felt self-conscious of all my eating until I was done and looked at Catcher's face.

"Well," I said before I cleared my throat. "We should probably head back." I was trying as best as I could to respect his time limit. I shuffled to my feet, but Catcher stayed on the ground and sat cross-legged.

"Wait," he commanded. "I have a few more questions."

"Huh," I said under my breath. I looked down at the mysterious boy with the name of "Catcher." He looked up into my eyes and the corners of his mouth went upward into a slight smile. I couldn't help the chill of pleasure that crawled up my spine when he showed his perfect, surprisingly clean, white teeth. I ran my tongue over my own teeth and could feel the grime all over them. I hadn't made my own secret recipe toothpaste for two days.

"What?" he asked. I realized I was staring and looked down at my hands that I twisted together.

"Nothing," I responded and shook my head. I kneeled in front of him and put my shoulder-length light brown hair behind my ears. He leaned in and I breathed in his musky scent.

"Do you ever wonder what it would have been like to just turn into and Avide?" His warm breath blew against my face. It smelled sweet, like strawberries.

"Yes," I answered after a pause in the most seductive voice I could. "All the time. I'm tired of having to live alone." I just realized that I was leaning in, too. I reluctantly leaned back. He stared into my face with an expression of inquiry on his.

"You don't have to be alone, you know," he says. He suddenly looked away, regretting what he said. I stared at him and tried to burn a hole into him, so I could know all of his secrets and why he would hang out with a nobody like me.

"You're right," he said finally looking at me again. At first I thought he meant that I was right about having to live a life of solitude. "We should be going back."


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5:**

Catcher leaned against a tree close to the stump. He had his eyes closed. He stayed like that for at least five minutes probably thinking of what to say to me next.

I stood in front of him and he took both of my hands in his with his eyes still closed. He finally opened his undeniably soft, gorgeous, brown eyes.

"I wish I could take you with me," he said with pain in his eyes. "I promise to come back tomorrow."

I wanted to say, _Yes come back. Better yet, stay longer_. Instead I told him, "No, you have to take care of your friend."

"Gabry will be fine," he said. I thought about the name and about how beautiful she probably is compared to me. Suddenly, Catcher takes his hands from mine but does not move away. He put one of his hands on the small of my back, and he let the fingers of his other hand danced lightly around my lips. The fire was back in his eyes, and I knew I never wanted those embers doused again. The butterflies must not have just been flying in my stomach; they were racing each other and jumping off the walls. I parted my lips the slightest bit. He pulled his hand away from my lips and put it on my hip. He took the one from the small of my back and put it on my other hip. His touch felt electric.

He leaned in, and his mouth stopped just on my lips. "Kiss me, love," he said against my lips. I let out a little laugh and pushed my lips against his. His smell invades my body. I moved my arms from their perch on top of his hands and wrapped them around his neck. Before the kiss had gone anywhere, he abruptly pulled back. Catcher looked horrified as he stared at something behind me. Something that I couldn't see.

"Cira," he muttered under his breath. "I thought she was dead. Dead for good."


End file.
